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7 Easy Steps to Proper Chainsaw Maintenance

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7 Easy Steps to Proper Chainsaw Maintenance

A chainsaw is used in various activities such as tree felling, bucking, lambing, pruning, and cutting fire break-in wildland fire suppression and harvesting of firewood.

Chainsaws are now coming with specially designed bar and chain combinations to make it perfect for chainsaw cut and chainsaw mills.

However, to get maximum performance, you need to take care of essential chainsaws maintenance. In this post, we’re going to talk about how to do chainsaw maintenance for power production. 

What Is A Chainsaw?

What Is A Chainsaw?

A chainsaw is portable gasoline, electric, or battery-powered saw that cuts the woods or anything with a proper set of teeth attached to a rotating chain driven with a guide bar.

So, we have told you about the chainsaw. Now we will talk about the chainsaw maintenance:

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If you want to use it and keep it for a long time, you need to extend your chainsaw’s lifespan; for this, you have to use it properly and maintain it and always follow the manufacturer’s maintenance schedule.

Here we are listing a few tips for you to care for and for maintenance purposes easily:

  1. Before taking it into use, you should firstly check the bar and chain oil levels for efficient usage.
  2. It would help if you kept the chainsaw chain sharp; it will help increase efficiency, prevent kickback, and provide safety for the person using the chainsaw.
  3. It would help if you cleaned the residue from the saw every time after the usage.

How to Sharpen the Chainsaw Chain?

Sharpen the Chainsaw Chain

If you want to keep your chainsaw’s chain sharp, you can use a round file to sharpen the blades regularly to use it with ease and make the work efficient. Filling the chain is one of the most crucial parts of maintaining your saw, and it is not that tough to do. If we file chainsaw blades with regularity, then it will make the work easier for us.

For sharpening the cutting teeth, you have to do it in a manner which is mentioned below:

  • Firstly, you must get out the chainsaw in a safe and secure area so that your saw does not move when you are working on it.
  • After that, occupy the chain brake and sharpen the cutting teeth. Make sure to position the file depth gauge on the chain so that the arrows pointing to the chainsaw bar nose. 

Note: Make sure to keep the file at a 90-degree angle to the chainsaw roller for better sharpening. 

  • And then file every other cutting tooth smoothly and with even pushing stroke.
  • After that, turn the saw to the other side to look in the other direction.
  • Lastly, file the other cutting teeth using the same method. 

Filling the Depth Gauges

While doing chainsaw maintenance, you should file the depth gauges about every third time you file the cutting teeth. And these deep gauges are placed between the cutting teeth. Follow the below steps to file the depth gauges easily:

  1. First, put the file gauge over the depth gauge
  2. And then choose between hard or soft depending on the types of wood you generally see.
  3. You must file the depth gauge until the file comes into touch with the file gauge.

You can increase the life of your chainsaw with a simple maintenance routine.

A chainsaw makes even heavy-duty tasks easy for you, and you keep to keep your chainsaw running smoothly. Routine chainsaw maintenance will keep any chainsaw running correctly and safely. For protecting your workspace from gas and oil, you should cover it with paper or a towel.

Note: Make sure to always wear appropriate protection gears for your hands, eyes, and ears while using a chainsaw. While inspecting your chainsaw, you should turn off the engine.

Basic Chainsaw Maintenance Tasks

chainsaw Maintenance Tasks

Here are some of the most crucial steps for easy chainsaws maintenance:

Check the Chain Brake

To ensure that you are safe while using your chainsaw, function these fast maintenance checks before running the engine.

Your chain brake should be working perfectly fine to stop the chain from rotating around the guide bar. This is one of your chainsaw’s most crucial safety features, so do not forget to keep checking it is working continuously.

  • First, place your chainsaw on a flat surface, release the chain brake, and start the saw. 
  • After that, press the controls to a high speed and undertake the chain brake. Make sure to grip the top handle firmly.
  • If the brake takes time to confront or do not confront it, please do not use it as unsafe. It would help if you went to your owner’s guide for repair and replacement instructions.

Check the Lubrication System

Your chainsaw is running smoothly, but you should also check on the lubrication system is functioning smoothly, and that oil is reaching the chains.

  • Firstly, place a sheet of white paper on the ground and now instigate the saw’s engine.
  • After that, check the oil spray marks on the white paper. If it is clear, then clean the oil reservoir and replace the filter.

Check the Chain Tension

Before doing chainsaw maintenance, make sure that the saw is turned off, and do not forget to wear heavy-duty gloves when working with the chain to avoid any injury.

Now check the chain tension around the guide bar. If it is somewhat loose, you should consult your owner’s guide manual to modify the chain appropriately.

Check the Air Filter

At the start of every spring, you should perform more in-depth checks to make sure that your chainsaw is working correctly and will run smoothly for the whole year, and if you use your chainsaw during the whole year, you should perform these inspections every month.

If your air filter is blocked, it will restrict the airflow and make the engine overheat. To properly clean or remove the light dust and foreign particles from that area, remove the filter and use a can of compressed air, spraying from inside to out.

It is a straightforward and inexpensive task. However, it doesn’t remove all the dust particles from the air filter. You can replace the air filter for perfect cleaning. 

Check the Fuel and Oil Filters

Fuel is only used in gas-powered chainsaw, which is located under the fuel cap. You must look for a small cylinder attached to the end of a tube.

If by any means, this filter vets choked with dust or residue, it can be a huge trouble for you as it can make the engine tough to start and will run roughly. And if you want the engine to work smoothly, you can remove the tube’s filter and replace it with the new filter.

No matter which type of chainsaw you are using, all the chainsaws have an oil filter located under the bar lubricating tank’s cup. After you find it out, now drag the filter out check it for dust or residue.

If it is blocked with dust, it will stop the flow of oil needed to keep the guide bar and chain lubricated, and hence its working will be positively affected. You may clean it with gasoline or replace it immediately if necessary.

Check the Spark Plug

For perfect chainsaws, maintenance makes sure to check the spark plug at a regular interval. You can remove the spark plug and measure the gap and compare it with the standard length according to the manufacturer’s given details. However, you can also adjust it as per your requirements. 

Weatherization

At the end of every season, if you plan not to use the chainsaw for more than two months, you should chain the gasoline or add a fuel stabilizer.

If you won’t do it or leave the chainsaw as it is, then compensation will build inside the fuel tank, and the moisture will make it difficult to start the saw when you are using it for the next time.

Chainsaw Maintenance: Before and After Use

If you want to keep your chainsaw running smoothly, you must file some extra moments before inspecting your chainsaw.

  • After every use, you would clean the chainsaw bar by dragging out any junk inside the track.
  • After that, check the air intake area and clean any residue from the slots as, without proper air, it will not work correctly.
  • Now check all nuts, bolts, and screws that are tight or not in your chainsaw. Fix them if you find anything loose.

Final Words

If you plan to own a chainsaw and want the engine to function smoothly, you must keep all the chainsaws maintenance steps in mind, which we have stated above. We have included every possible way of maintaining your chainsaw.

Thank you for reading our article, and if you find this article helpful in any way, please comment on your opinion.

Sandy Jensen
Sandy Jensen is the founder of OrganizeWithSandy and Works with Champalimaud Design where she curates and creates fresh ideas for designing and styling your life.

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